Last Resort
by stephandhhh123
Summary: When Lynn asks Paul to take his troubled niece for the summer, will she end up hurting his marriage? Or will they be able to help her with her problems?


Pulling into the garage, Paul turned off his hummer and stayed in the car. Everything from his earlier conversation with his sister, Lynn, kept going through his head.

_Flashback_

"_Paul, we need your help. Chad and I can't handle her anymore. She drinks. She sneaks out in the middle of the night. She doesn't listen to anything we tell her. She causes problems for everyone. Ever since Gordon died last year, she hasn't been the same. We've tried everything we can think of. Therapy, discipline, talking…nothing's getting through to her."_

"_Wow. I didn't realize things were this bad. What can I do?"Paul felt bad he hadn't seen all of this going on sooner._

_Lynn looked at her husband and grabbed his hand. "Well we were wondering if you would take her for the summer?"_

_Paul stared at her in disbelief. "Why do you think her living with me for a few months will help?"_

_Lynn shrugged. "She listens to you and respects you more than anyone, now that her father is dead. This is really the last resort. We don't know what else to do with her."_

_Paul nodded in understanding."I need to talk to Steph about this first and fill her in on what's going on."_

"_We understand. Take your time Paul. I know this is a lot to ask, but it's the only option we have left." Lynn looked at him with pleading eyes._

_Paul could see the worry and sadness in Lynn's face and knew this was serious. But he couldn't volunteer to take in a problem child without talking to Steph first, even if it was his niece._

_End flashback_

Paul had been sitting out in the garage for about five minutes trying to decide the best way to approach Steph about this. They have only been married for seven months and taking in a troubled teenager isn't at the top of their list. With the warning Lynn gave him before he left, he knew this was going to be a test for his marriage if they decided to do it.

_Flashback_

_Lynn reached out and grabbed Paul's arm before he opened the front door. "Paul, before you and Steph make your decision, you need to know something. After a few visits with the therapist, he said it seems like she feels that since she can't have what she wants in life, no one else should either." Lynn let go of Paul's arm and folder her arms under her chest._

"_Okay…and what does that mean exactly?" Paul was a little confused by what she was trying to tell him._

"_It means that she will most likely try to come between you and Steph like she did with me and Chad. If you decide to take her for the summer, then you need to trust what Steph tells you and only what she tells you. You and Steph need to be on the same page the whole time and trust each other more than ever." _

_End flashback_

Paul really doesn't know if he wants someone to stay in his house that would try and harm his marriage. Steph is everything to him and if he lost her, he would lose the best thing in his life. But he also has faith in his relationship with Steph and trusts her immensely. Knowing what his niece's motives are before she is actually living with them will help them prepare and not fall victim to them. Lynn told him everything he needs to know so he's confident that he and Steph can come out of this alive and stronger than ever. He just wished he could guarantee that somehow. This was a big chance to take.

Sighing, Paul climbed out of the hummer, grabbing his black briefcase, and made his way to the door that connected the garage to the house. He opened the door and the smell of supper cooking filled his senses. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Steph standing at the stove stirring something in a big silver pan. Her back was to him so he quietly sat his briefcase down on the marble counter and watched her for a few seconds. She was still wearing her black dress pants and the white blouse she put on this morning. He could smell her vanilla scented perfume and it made his knees a little weak. Quietly walking up to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and put his head in the crook of her neck. He kissed her neck, eliciting a small moan from her. Reaching her free hand back, she grabbed the back of his head and kissed him. They kissed a few times before he let go of her. "Supper smells good, what are we having?" She swatted at his hands as he tried to steal a cookie out of the cookie jar next to the stove. "You're going to ruin your supper." She smirked at him as he pouted back. "We're having spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread." He looked around at everything to see if there was something he could do. "Do you need some help?" She smiled and shook her head. "No, it will be ready in a few minutes. Go ahead and go change." Kissing her on the cheek, he left the kitchen and went to change his clothes.

When Paul came back down to the kitchen, the table was set and Steph was waiting for him to return. As they were eating, Paul debated on whether or not now was a good time to talk to Steph about his niece. His answer soon came as Steph broke the comfortable silence. "So what did Lynn want?" Putting down his fork, he looked up at her and told her everything about his conversation with Lynn.

After listening to Paul recollect his conversation, Steph sat silently taking it all in. Paul nervously waited for her to reply as he pushed his food around on his plate. Putting her fork down, she looked him in the eye. "If it will help her, I think we should do it, but…" She stood from her chair and walked around to where Paul was sitting and straddled his lap. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she placed her hands on either side of his face, looking into his eyes. "But you have to promise me you will trust me and talk to me about everything she does or says." Giving her a warm smile, he nodded his head. "I promise Steph. We have a good idea of what she will try to do so I think we will be okay." He kissed her passionately, pulling her tighter against his chest. One of the things he loved most about his wife was her big heart. She would do anything to help someone in need, especially her family. He just hoped he and Steph could help Abby with all of her problems and get her back on track.


End file.
